Indian Legion

The Indian Legion was an Indian volunteer unit in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany that was active from 1942 to May 1945. The Indian Legion was formed in Berlin by Subhas Chandra Bose, an Indian nationalist and Marxist who enlisted German aid in liberating the British Raj from British colonial rule. The majority of its 3,000 soldiers were Indian student residents of Germany, while several more British Indian Army prisoners of war would join the legion. In 1944, the Indian Legion was transferred from the regular Wehrmacht to the fascist Waffen-SS paramilitary, and the legion's members fought against the French Resistance in France and the Italian Resistance in Italy, undertaking anti-partisan operations or non-combat roles. One company in Italy did, however, fight against British and Polish troops. When Germany surrendered in May 1945, the legion attempted to slip across the Alps into neutral Switzerland, but the legion soldiers were arrested and made to face trial by the British. However, the trials were not completed due to popular uproar.